Lubricating system for internal-combustion engines.



E. M. WHITE. LUBRICATING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION men JULY 3|, 191s.

Patented May 1, 1917.

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E. M. WHITE. LUBRHIATPNG SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1916.

Patented May 1, 1917.

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amuewtom v \NEl/SK/ \M, XMMLQW. 0 I! W ERNEST M. WHITE, 015 DETROIT. MICHIGAN.

LUBRICA TING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

"atentetll May 1, Mill 7.

Application filed July 31, 1916. Serial No. 112.229.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that T. Eusics'r .\l. \\-'i|rr1-:. a citizen of the l'nited States. and residing at Detroit. in'the count) of avnc and State of .\lichigan. have invented a new and llllproved Luhricating System for Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

lhis invention relates to means for causing continuous and sutlicient hut not execs sive luhrication of the pistons and crank shafts of internal-comlulstion engines and its ohject is to provide a series of oil receptacles from which the luhricaut can he splashed up h) the lower ends of the connect ing rods: t0 prevent: excessive depth ol' oil in these receptacles: to provide for the removal of the excess of the oil thus splashed up: and to provide for the conveying ol the remainder of the oil thus splashed up longitudinally of the engine.

This invention consists in a novel structure, preferably of sheet metal. mounted helow and preferably parallel to the crank shaft of a 1nulti-c vlimler 'internala-omlulstion engine and having a series of luhricating oil receptacles into which the lower ends of the connecting rods or projections on such rods may dip to splash up the oil. in comhinatiou with means for t'eedingthc luhricat ing oil to the two end receptacles: thestructure being formed with openings. prel'erahly on that side of the end receptacles toward which the connecting rods move as ll-lf-iy dip into the luhriant. through which openings the excess of the luhricating oil is thrown h the connecting rods. and with means for conveying the remainder of the splashed up oil longitudinally to the adjacent oil receptacles. said means heing located on the opposite side of the central vertical plane of the engine from the openings for permitting the escape of part of the splashed up oil. It also consists in so't'orming the structure that the oil in the receptacles will be at one depth when the engine is horizontal. at a greater depth when one end of the engine is elevated. and at a lesser depth when the same. end of the engine is lowered.

In the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is an elevation of an internal combustion engine provided with this improved luliric'atmg system. a portion of the. crank case heing broken away so, as to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a plan of the oil rccept'acles employed in the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a section of the lower part of the engine on the line l--2l ot' l ig. 1. Fig. l is a plan of the oil rcceptm'les of a l'ourcvli nler engine.

Similar reference char:u-tcrs refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The engine which is conventionall shown in Fig. 1 has its cylinders cast in a lilock-l which connects to the upper part of the crank case. The lower part .3 ol' the crank case |utetcra| l v connects to the upper along a plane l1ol'lZo|ll:lll helow the axis ol the crank shaft 1:. to which the connecting rods 10. It and 1'. connect. -'lhe drawing shows the trout. hearing ll. intermediate hearing 1-3 and rear hearing 11' for the crank shal't formed with oil cups Hi and oil holes l.

The hottom 5 of the crank case constitutes the main reservoir for the luhricatiug oil. which is drawn theret'roiti lrv means of any desired t \'pe of pump lt a strainer 20 and foot. valve ll of an v desired t vpe heing mounted at the lower end of the suction pipe .312 if desired. l rom the pump. discharge pipes "ll. 25 and :26 extend to the hearings ol' the crankshaft in the usual manner. and the surplus oil from these hearings tlows away through the passages 2?. 2H and 2E. The parts thus far descrihed are well known and hv themselves. l'orm no part of the present invention.

Mounted within the crank case is an oil pan M. prel'erahlv of sheet metal. formed .with a series of oil receptacles 31. l *3. d,

13.) and 3t), one for each connecting rod'.

(onnecting to each receptacle is a depression 37 which normally determines the height of the oil in the receptacles. all excess flowing down through the holes its into the main reservoir. These depression extend forwardly from the receptzu-les. for when the engine is on an automohile going down hill. the work done by the engine is helow normal and the luhricant required is also less than when the vehicle is running on level roads. l v forming the depressions at the front of the receptacles the oil will flow out until the level thereof is helow normal and the amount splashed up by the connecting'rods is also helow normal.

When. however. the vehicle is elimhingup hill. the elevated rear walls of the oil receptacles insure a larger amount of oil lieing held in each receptacle and therefore i larger amount of lulu-icaut is splashed up tit) at the time the engine is doing the hardest work.

In order to insure a proper amount of lubricant, reaching the bearings. it is desirable to pump an excess of oil thereto. the excess running oil through the passages 27. 28 and 29. This oil is then used to lubri- 'ate the connecting rods and pistons being permitted to llow down the inclined edges 39 and 40 of the oil pan 2-30 to the end receptacles 31 and 36. At the front end ot the oil pan :1 detlecto'r 4; is shown to prevent the oil from the front hearing from flowing directly through the trout passage 38. Oil from the bearing 15 will run down into the receptacles 3 1 and ll.

The amount otoil that enters the receptacles in the oil pan is usually much greater than necessary and it is therefore desirable to get a large portion of it to the main reservoir as soon as possible. The extensions or fingers ll (Fig. l) on the lower ends of the connecting rods strike the pools of oil in the receptacles with great force at high speed. The oil will be thrown out ot the receptacles in the form of larger masses and drops and smaller drops or particles and the heavy masses and drops will be largely thrown out through the openings or passages ll) and fall into the main reservoir. Some ot the smaller drops will be thrown up into the cylinders while. others will be thrown against both walls of the crank case and run down to the oil pan.

The oil pan is shown provided with inclined oil troughs 47 that deliver the oil that runs down opposite the receptacles 32 and 35 respectively to these receptacles, and with troughs 48. 49 and 50, which convey oil splashed up from the receptacles 31 and 36 to the receptacles 32 and 35 respectively and oil splashed up from the last two to the inner receptacles 33 and 1-H. The opening 52 in the oil pan is for the suction pipe 22.

It will thus be seen that instead of the great excess of oil remaining in the receptacles 31 and 36 as it is received from the bearings, much of it will be thrown out through the openings 46 and that some will be carried entirely around with the connecting rod and he dashed against the opposite wall. This will be carried to the receptacles 32 and 35 which will be. provided with sutlieient oil at all times, the excess flowing away through the passages 38 adjacent thereto. The perfect distribution and the abstraction of all unnecessary oil makes for the most economical use of the lubricant and avoids the excessive deposit of carbon so often found in combustion chambers and on spark plugs and valves when an excess of oil is splashed up into the cylinders and there burned.

While Figs. 1 2 and 3 disclose a lubrieating system for six-cylinder engines. Fig.

l discloses an oil pan particularly adapted for four cylinder motors. The pan 0 has parallel receptacles til. (3:2, (321 and it to hold the lubricant into which the ends of the connecting rods-may dip. in this'caseagaiu the larger drops of oil will be. thrown out; through the openings U5. The receptacles tit and ill receive the oil from the bearings and that which is splashed up and carried over against the opposite wall of the crank case and runs down will he caught by the inclined troughs it and [low to the adjacent receptacles 13:! and (3 .3. The oil that is splashed up out of the rta-eptacle's 2 and i l and is carried over and flows down the side of the crank case between these receptacles will be caught by the troughs (57 and llow to the opening 138 and pass to the main oil reservoir.

l'nder some conditions. the heavy drops or masses of lubricant may be carried around by the cranks and the lower ends of the connecting rods. This will necessilate the positions of the openings it; and ot' the troughs 49 and 50 being reversed, the troughs ti and .30 being on the side toward which the lower ends of the connecting rods are moving when they strike the lubricant in the receptacles in the oil pan. and the openings to on the side from which such lower ends are moving.

\Vhilc this lubricating system is shown especially adapted for four and six cylinder engines, it will be clear that it may be expanded or contracted as may be desired, and that the distance or direction of transfer of lubricant will depend entirely on the type of engine. The construction of the oil pan, its openings and conveyer troughs may be modified by those skilled in the art to meet any problem without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the followings claims:

I claim 1. In a lubricating system for multi-cylinder engines. the combination of a crank case constituting the main oil reservoir and an oil pan within the crank cakge and formed with transverse oil receptacles; one for each connecting rod, said oil pan having 'depressions connecting to said receptacles. and openings in said depressions through which the oil can flow to the main reservoir, said oil pan also having openings in transverse alinement and at one side of a plurality of said receptacles. and inclined troughs'on the opposite side from said last named openings to convey oil longitudinally of the-crank case.

2. In av lubricating system for multi-cylinder engines, the combination of a crank case constituting the. main reservoir for 111- bricating oil and an oil pan within the crank also formed with transverse 011 receptacles,

one for each connecting rod. means to convey lubricating oil to the two end receptacles, said oil pan having openings at one side of the central plane of the engine through which oil may be thrown by the connecting rods as they dip into said receptacles, and inclined troughs on the opposite side of the oil pan to convey splashed up oil .lt'mgitlulinally of the crank ease to other receptacles.

3. In a lubricating system for multi-cylinder engines. the combination of a crank case constituting the main reservoir for lubricating oil and an oil pan within the crank case formed with oil receptacles into which the connecting rods may dip to splasll up the. oil, said pan formed with openings through which the excess of splashed up oil may pass to the main reservoir: means to convey a portion of the splashed up oil longitudinally of the crank case to other receptacles. and means to carry the oil from the main reservoir to one of the receptacles.

4. In a lubricating system for multi-cylinder engines. the combination of a crank case constituting the main reservoir for lubricating oil. and a structure mounted with- .in the crank case formed with oil receptacles into which the connecting rods may dip to splash up the oil. said structure. formed with a plurality of openings through which the excess of oil splashed up by the connecting rods may pass to the main reservoir. and a series of troughs within said structure inclining inwardly to catch a portion of the oil splashed up from relatively outer receptacles and convey it to the next adjacent receptacles.

5. In a lubricating system for multi cylinder engines, the combination of a main reservoir for the lubricating oil, means-t0 convey the oil from the reservoir to the hen rings of the engine, a structure mounted in the crank case below the bearings of the. engine and adapted to receive the oil that flows therefrom and formed with transverse depressions adapted to hold oil into which the connecting rods of the engine may dip to splash up the oil, means to convcy a portion of the splashed 11 oil to the depression next inside the one rom which the oil was splashed up, said structure formed to permit the passage of another portion of the splashed up oil directly to the main reservoir.

(1. in a lubricating system Ior multi-cylinder engines. the combination of a main reservoir for the lubricating oil. means to convey the oil from the reservoir to the bearings of the engine, astructure mounted in the crank case below the bearings of the engine and formed with transverse receptacles adapted to' receive the oil that flows from said bearings and into which receptacles the connecting rods may dip to splash up the oil. and inclined troughs for conveying part of the oil splashed up from the outer bear ings to the inner bearings, said structure being formed with openings to control the level of oil in the receptacles and to permit the excess of splashed up oil to flow to the main reservoir.

ERNEST M. \VHITE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addreiming the "Commlaaloner 0t Patenta, Washington, D. 0." 

